Stay
by alysonswonderland
Summary: "I love you, Hermione," he whispers. A tear slides down her cheek and he brushes it away with his thumb. He's only said it a few times in their relationship, but this time it seems to have so much weight; it holds all the pleas he's refraining from voicing. Please stay with me. Please quit your job. Please don't move to Spain. Please... Inspired by the song Stay by Sara Bareilles.


Stay

* * *

_I know we'll get to tomorrow  
__And say goodbye  
__That's why I'm askin' for tonight  
__[...]They may be lies  
__But say that we will be alright_

_Sara Bareilles - Stay_

* * *

He searches blindly beside him for her hand. She feels his brush up against hers and wraps her fingers around his. A wave of serenity washes over her; the hectic week, the shouting match with her best mates, the overwhelming gaiety of drunken party-goers-everything is forgotten and it's just the two of them. She lets her eyes fall closed and gently squeezes his hand, relishing the moment. She knows it won't last long-nothing public between the two of them ever does-and she's not surprised when her hand is suddenly empty and she's watching his back disappear into a crowd of gossipers. It's another moment before she gathers herself, turns, a sad smile on her face, and leaves the party in favor of the biting winter night.

She's standing outside hugging herself when a soft kiss is placed at the nape of her neck and a heavy coat is placed in her shoulders. She shrugs it on and her hand is enclosed again. He leads her aimlessly down the streets and she willingly follows. Their cover of darkness is punctuated with scattered street lights. The streets are empty and there's a distant chime of a clock striking thrice. As the ring of the clock dies away, they reach her front door and she pulls the two of them into the welcomed warmth of her small flat. He slides the jacket off of her and tosses it aside as he leads her in the direction of her bedroom. He's gripping her hand again, holding on tighter with each step, as if she'll go running off in the opposite direction. She doesn't protest, though, as he sits her down on the edge of the bed and kneels in front of her, taking hold of her other hand.

Neither of them dare to break the silence just yet. She looks down at him as he focuses on tracing small circle on her hands. He looks up at her and his eyes are the most vulnerable she's ever seen them. No walls tonight. Their last night and he's laying it all out there for her. She smiles and looks back down at their hands. She's been asking for it all along, asking for more of him, and now she's finally getting it, when she wishes she wasn't. Her heart sinks a little at the thought of never being this close to him again, but she quickly pushes it away. He places gentle kisses on both her hands and disentangles one of his to lift her chin up.

"I love you, Hermione," he whispers. A tear slides down her cheek and he brushes it away with his thumb. He's only said it a few times in their relationship, but this time it seems to have so much weight; it holds all the pleas he's refraining from voicing. _Please stay with me. Please quit your job. Please don't move to Spain. Please._

"I'm so sorry, Draco," she replies. She begins to move away but he pulls her into a kiss filled with both desperation and fervent need. His hands find their way to her hair and gently pull back. He trails kisses along her jaw, down her neck, across her collarbone and is egged on by her heavy breathing and soft moans. He unzips her dress before lying her down and pulling it off.

"I love you," he repeats. She silently notes the rarity of those words being spoken so often with him.

He hovers over her body, bracing himself on his forearms, and leaves kisses from her neck to her breast. He scrapes at it lightly with his teeth and follows with more kisses. She moans and grips his hair, keeping him in place. He smirks and drags his tongue over her nipple. She arches her back as another moan floats from her lips. He does the same to the other breast and there are pleas mixed in with her moans and whimpers.

She grinds her hips and realizes he's still fully clothed. She tries to undo his pants, but he holds her hands up by her head and smirks again. She pouts and he kisses her.

"Patience, love."

He falls back on his knees and slides her knickers off. His hands caress her breasts, stomach, hips, thighs and he nudges her legs apart. His lips ghost up her inner thigh to her core. She's pleading again and his name begins to sound like a warning as she gets more and more impatient. He spreads her lips apart and makes a stroke with his tongue. She inhales sharply and spreads her legs wider. He slides his tongue into her momentarily before tracing up just below her clit. A disappointed _'No!'_ escapes her lips and he repeats the motion. She's getting frustrated and he can tell. She shifts her hips as he stands up and he sees her pouting at him again. He unbuttons and tosses aside his shirt as she sits up and begins to work on his belt. His pants are quickly discarded and his boxers are right behind. She lies back down and he leans over her. He tells her he loves her one more time as he positions himself.

With a grunt, he thrusts in. He moves slowly at first and has to calm himself as he watches her, lips parted, eyes glazed, chest heaving, moans and whimpers flowing freely from her mouth. His control doesn't last long, though. His thrusts quicken and she grips his shoulders, nails digging in, and wraps her legs around his hips to pull him in deeper.

"_Oh fuck Hermione."_

Her release comes only moments before his. He holds her close, relishing the feel of her tightening around him, as they come down from their highs. He places a kiss on her shoulder before pulling out. She moves farther onto the bed and he moves to lie next to her. The winter chill feels more prominent now and they pull each other close.

"I wish I could come with you," he says, kissing the top of her head. "Is there anything I could do to get you to change your mind?"

She lets out a laugh. "Even if there was, it'd be too late. I'm leaving in a few hours, Draco. I can't exactly turn down the offer now."

"Of course you could."

She smiles and plants a kiss just to the right of his heart.

"I'm going to miss you."

"Of course you will."

She hits his arm playfully. Pulling back slightly, she sees him smirking at her. Her chest aches at the thought of never seeing that idiotic smirk again. Or a long while, at least.

"And I, you, love," he says.

She thinks he's trying to pack a year's worth of endearments into a single night and holds him tighter. She wants to tell him that there's no need, he doesn't need to make up for lost _I love yous_ or _darlings_ or _loves_ because she never really expected that from him in the first place. But she doesn't. She just hugs him snugly and tries to memorize the feel of his body against hers before she drifts off to a restless sleep.

* * *

She awakens a couple hours later, still enclosed in Draco's arms, and has the strongest urge to owl the Spanish Ministry and tell them she's changed her mind.

But she doesn't. Instead, she stays with him another moment before disentangling herself slowly, trying her hardest not to wake him. She gets dressed and grabs her luggage from the closet. She hears the bedding rustle and whips her head around to see if he's woken up. No, he's only shifted positions.

She stands at the end of the bed for a bit, just watching, trying one final time to memorize him. A glance at the clock on the bedside table tells her she should be going. Debating quickly whether or not to kiss him goodbye, she decides one more kiss won't do any harm, and lightly kisses his lips. He groans and shifts again but stays fast asleep. She lets out a breath and exits her flat. Her heart is shouting at her to turn around and run back into bed with him, but her head refuses to listen. Her eyes begin to water as she walks to the Apparition point. It seems so much colder outside without his jacket on her and his hand in hers. She grips her wand tightly and clenches her jaw; she is determined not to cry. As she Apparates to her destination, she can't tell if the tightness in her chest is from Apparating or from leaving him behind.

* * *

**A/N:** I've wanted to write a fic to this song for a _long_ time, and so here it is. Reviews, of course, are greatly, greatly appreciated! I hope you liked it! (:


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